Graffiti spotted at Colorado Springs welcome sign

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado Springs police are investigating after someone spray-painted messages and threw red paint on the welcome sign along Interstate 25.

In the photo sent by a viewer, someone spray-painted a message that appears related to the officer-involved shooting of De'Von Bailey. Red paint can be seen splattered across 'Colorado Springs'.

"The City has responded to address the vandalism per its normal procedures. Code enforcement cleaned the graffiti just after 8:00 this morning” says Kim Melchor with the City of Colorado Springs communication office.

The Colorado Springs Neighborhood Services Quality of Life Team took just over three hours to complete their first clean-up.

The red paint splattered all over the sign was still wet when their crews arrived. By mid-afternoon, a second crew came out clean up excess paint that had leaked through the crevices.

According to previous reporting, the welcome sign was revamped earlier in 2019 at a cost of $217,000. That money was raised through private donors.

A Devon Bailey activist, Rachel Stovall told KRDO, "I was extremely shocked and dismayed but I felt like I understood why."

Bailey, 19, was shot and killed by CSPD officers back in August, following reports of a robbery. Last month, Fourth District Attorney Dan May announced that there will be no criminal charges filed against those officers.

Stovall was among the people who testified at the city council meeting on Tuesday morning expressing their concern over tension between Bailey supporters and Colorado Springs police.

Council President Richard Skorman said, "we need to keep having conversations. We need to reach out to that community and make sure they understand and that we want to be good, a good police department for the neighborhood, proactive in the terms of making sure people feel comfortable with us."

On Friday, De'von Bailey's memorial was taken down by Colorado Springs police angering those who put it up. Soon after, supporters were back out re-spray painting the sidewalk. On Saturday, protesters interrupted the Festival of Lights parade.

Stovall says it worked to get the city's attention but no more incidents are planned, and hopes the city sits down to talk with them.